The Carcass Terminal Settings and Accessibility

The Carcass presents the entire game through a retro ASCII terminal with CRT glow. PiqFocus ships substantial accessibility features on Steam: adjustable text size, color alternatives, custom volume, narrated menus, playable without timed input, and save-anytime (outside Ironman). This guide explains how to tune those options for marathon colony runs without breaking immersion—or your eyes.

Opening settings

Access preferences from the main terminal menu or pause-equivalent screen (exact label may read Settings or Terminal in your build). Navigate with arrow keys or numbered menus; confirm with Enter. No mouse required.

If you cannot find the menu, see keyboard commands for navigation verbs.

Visual options

Text size

Increase text size if intro subtitles felt too fast to read—common feedback before 2.0 pacing fixes. Larger text reduces how many log lines fit on screen; compensate by reading turn reports slowly each Pulse.

Color alternatives

Color-blind and low-contrast presets swap phosphor green for high-contrast palettes. Use if biomass negatives are hard to spot in default green-on-black.

CRT effects

Authentic scanlines and glow sell atmosphere but add visual noise. Reduce CRT intensity if:

• You play on small laptops
• Long sessions cause eye strain
• You capture screenshots for guides

Atmosphere vs clarity is personal—toggle until harvest numbers are crisp.

Audio

Custom volume controls separate music, terminal blips, and event stingers. Lower stingers if horror jumps distract from economic planning. Stereo sound supported per Steam feature list.

Input accessibility

Playable without timed input means events wait for your keypress—critical for learning Pulses. Narrated game menus assist screen-reader-adjacent play; pair with enlarged text.

Keyboard only option explicitly commits to no mouse—matches wiki control assumptions.

Save settings

Save-anytime (non-Ironman) lets you experiment with settings mid-run. Ironman disables reload—set comfort options before committing.

Localization

The game supports 30 interface languages on Steam. Wiki mirrors EN/FR/DE/ES. In-game language is independent—pick native UI for event nuance in diplomacy (factions guide).

The 2.0 pass fixed garbled machine translations—update game files if subtitles looked wrong in early demo.

Recommended profiles

New player: large text, reduced CRT, no timed input ON.

Ironman: final text size locked, high contrast ON, volume low.

Speed runner: minimal CRT, smallest readable text, memorize command lookup.

Hardware notes

Minimum spec uses integrated graphics; text rendering stays light. Recommended spec targets 500+ population sims—settings tweaks do not fix CPU load; reduce colony sprawl instead (citizens guide).

Comfortable terminal settings turn ASCII dread into a sustainable hobby.

Long session ergonomics

Increase text size before reducing CRT entirely—atmosphere matters for horror tone but readability wins marathon runs.

Deep dive: comfort tuning

CRTs sell horror but fatigue eyes. Step down glow before abandoning aesthetic entirely. Color alternatives help read negative biomass quickly—default green-on-black is thematic, not always readable on laptop panels.

Narrated menus and no timed input help learning players. Veterans may disable timed input anyway to treat events like books. Volume sliders separate jump scares from terminal blips—lower stingers if you miss economic warnings masked by audio.

Set comfort options before Ironman. Non-Ironman allows save experimentation— tune once, then commit.

Closing tips for accessibility

Tune text size first, CRT second. Marathon runs need comfort more than aesthetic purity.

Player notes on Terminal Settings

Veterans recommend revisiting this topic after the 2.0 patch because Pulse labels and harvest menus changed beginner muscle memory. Pair this page with the guides hub when planning multi-run completion. Ironman players should read related controls pages before committing single-save attempts. Document event choices with Pulse numbers when chasing secret endings or NG+ memory flags. Trade reliance fails after betrayal—internal Nutrient Vats remain the reliable backbone on Normal and Hard. Extinction difficulty punishes sloppy turn reports; scan biomass every Pulse without exception. Large populations above five hundred citizens require recommended PC specs listed on release info.